The Usual Suspects
by Pierce Ray
Summary: Four people are gathered together to pull a high risk job for Keyser Soze...please r
1. Default Chapter

THE USUAL SUSPECTS Looking Past.  
  
By Philip Arnold  
  
Chapter 1  
  
A man with a briefcase hits the wall hard as he is thrown against it. He yelps out in pain as it shoots through his body. He looks down to his right and sees only the body of his fallen bodyguard, blood-spilling out from the hole in his head. He looks forward and sees his assailant, a man dressed as a homeless person now wearing a ski mask and pointing a gun right at his face. It was the same guy they had passed earlier in the alley, sitting on the ground, begging for change.  
  
"Hand over the fucking case now!" the crook screamed pointing gun closer to the man with the briefcase face. He shook his head and the crook swung back and slammed the butt of the gun in the man's face, breaking his nose. The man with the briefcase screamed out and clutches his face with his left hand while still holding onto the case. He can feel blood pour out of his nose onto his hand.  
  
The man with the gun keeps his distance, levels the gun at the man's head and delivers a final ultimatum. The man with the briefcase looks at him through his bloody hand, determined on not letting go of the case. A car pulls up, slamming on its brakes alongside the alley. A window rolls down and a voice screams out for the man with the gun to hurry up. The crook looks at the man, swallows and discharges his firearm.  
  
It strikes the man with the briefcase in his left knee. He immediately drops to the ground now grabbing his knee, letting go of the case and yelling, "Oh you fuck, you fuck, you fuck! You shot me right in my knee! Oh God!"  
  
The man with the gun reaches down, grabs the case and sprints off towards the car. He opens the back door and leaps in. Before he can close the door, the driver is already speeding off. The man in the back seat takes off the ski mask and lets the hammer of the gun down slowly putting on the safety.  
  
"Why didn't you kill the guy Hood?" the driver asked.  
  
"Just shut up and drive Steve! Make a left here." Hood responded breathing heavily. He gripped the sides of the seat as Steve made the left turn. Hood looked at himself in the rearview mirror. He was filthy as were the clothes he wore. Hood had dressed and acted as a homeless man for the past two days to fool off anyone who was at the least bit suspicious. He wiped the sweat off his brow with the sleeve of his jacket and caught a whiff of the smell instead. Hood needed a shower, badly.  
  
Hood continued to look in the mirror and was not proud of what he saw staring back at him. This was not his intention in life, he never wanted this but life doesn't always work out the way one wants it to. Even though he was a criminal, a multiple felon, he was pretty much a normal guy. There were thousands who looked almost like him. If someone wanted to describe him so the police could find him they would get the following; male, Caucasian, anywhere from five foot eleven to six foot two, medium build and brown hair. In a way, it seemed to be the perfect disguise. There was not one thing unique about Hood, he was everyone and he was no one.  
  
Steve Herowitz on the other hand was different. He did stand out in a crowd. He was tall, had blonde hair and blue eyes. Muscular and if he wanted to be, attractive. It was odd to find him out here or in the line of work he was in. To Hood, Steve could have been so much more but instead, ended up being a no good thug and sometimes a gun for hire. But there was one curious thing about Steve; he slept with his eyes open.  
  
It was bizarre watching him sleep and that's he got the nickname, Catatonic Steve. Some crazy whino for some big crime boss saw him asleep like this gave him the name. The boss found out and like the way it sounded and the name has stuck with ever since. It was pretty funny if one thinks about long and hard enough.  
  
The car came stop in front of a garage as it waited for the door to go up. When it did it slowly coasted forward into the building and the door soon closed behind them. Both men climbed out of the car and both froze for a second as they heard sirens approaching. But they passed the garage and continued on, the wails screaming on into the night.  
  
"Whew," Steve cried out, waving his hand across his face, "You need to fucking shower big time Hood!"  
  
Hood looked at him and pushed him aside. He opened a door adjacent to the garage and walked into their apartment. It was a shit hole if Hood had ever seen one. Two mattresses with sheets lay on the floor on either side of the room. In an area supposedly resembling a kitchen there was a card table with three chairs, one of the chairs was missing a leg. It was as dank as the garage and only a few lamps to light it up. Hood shook his head pitifully.  
  
He walked over, took of his jacket and set the briefcase in the center of the table. Hood walked over to the sink and looked for the cleanest glass, but soon gave up. He went over to the ancient refrigerator and opened it. It was barren except for an opened can of beer and what appeared to be a box of baking soda. He heard Steve come in and slammed the refrigerator door shut. Hood looked over and saw Steve with a hammer and a flathead screwdriver. He began to line it up along the seal of the briefcase to crack it open.  
  
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Hood asked walking over to Steve. "What's it look like I'm doing dumb ass! I'm gonna open up this case and find what's inside." he said getting up in Hood's face.  
  
Hood pushed him away and took both the hammer and screwdriver from Steve in one quick move. "Oh no you're fucking not! You know our business policy! We don't get involved in other people's problems! If we open up this case and see what's inside we become part of the problem. It's called employer- employee confidentiality dumb ass!"  
  
"Oh come on Hood just this once! You can't tell me that you've never been curious about what could be in these things?" Steve questioned.  
  
"No and you wanna know why? Because you have no idea what could be inside. What if you open that up and all this shit starts spilling out and what if after we picked it all up, we don't find all of it. Then after we deliver this to it's rightful owner, what if he notices that it's not all there because you know what he's going to do, he's going to come to us and start asking where it could be. Plus, he won't be coming alone and I am not dealing with that. Finally, how do you know that what could be in the case is a bomb of some sort."  
  
"Now that is highly unlikely because if there was, then guy would come after us anyway." said Steve.  
  
"What the fuck ever, I don't care what's in the case and neither should you! That's how bad things start happening and right now, we are too close to getting out of this shit hole and moving up! We have a good business going and lots of people are coming to us with jobs, high paying jobs. No more of these five to ten grand jobs, but jobs that go up into the millions. Ok? Just forget about the case, we got to get ready for Thursday night anyway." said Hood taking a deep breath. Steve was silent and just stared at Hood. He still wanted to know what was in the case but his friend convinced him it wasn't worth it.  
  
"What time do we have to deliver this thing again?" Steve asked after a long, cold silence.  
  
"One thirty sharp at Dresser's place so that gives us time to stop by Jan's." Hood replied.  
  
"Jan? Don't tell me you're still seeing that slut of a whore?"  
  
"Shut the fuck up Steve! She's not a whore anymore! She gave that up remember?" Hood responded angrily.  
  
"Yeah sure and we didn't just steal a briefcase which is worth five hundred thousand dollars." said Steve sarcastically. "Just shut the fuck up!" Hood screamed grabbing and throwing Steve to the ground, "Would you stop bashing Jan? I mean that's all you do, call her a whore or a hoe or something else along those lines. If you do it one more time I'm going to kick your ass, you get me?"  
  
"Yeah, I got ya. Just calm down will you. You know I don't ever mean what I say, I'm just joking around. I think Jan's a swell gal it's just.you know.I mean.come on Hood, she's a prostitute and if you believe she's not one anymore than fine, she's not but don't come crying to me when she breaks your heart." Steve said standing up facing his friend.  
  
"Oh I didn't know you had this sensitive side Steve." Hood said in a sweet voice, wrapping his arms around Steve.  
  
"Get the fuck off me!" yelled Steve shucking off Hood who was laughing hysterically, "Ok, very funny. Just don't do that again."  
  
"Whatever see you tomorrow morning." Hood said walking to his side of the room, turning off the lights. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II  
  
The next day both men woke up around 10:00 and followed their morning itinerary better known as the three 'S's. Shit, shower and shave. Shit always came first. About 10:45, both were ready to head out and meet their fence, Dresser. The meeting wasn't for another couple hours, so they grabbed a bite to eat and after much heated argument they picked up Jan.  
  
Jan Wiles was the ideal woman for Hood. She was smooth, brunette, about four to five inches shorter than Hood, sexy, cool, strong-minded, street smart but all in all, she was the hooker with a heart of gold. She really was and it was amazing how she stayed that way. Here was a woman who had slept with hundreds of men, who should have been just dollar signs to her, but to her, they were lot more.  
  
She was especially gentle with her clients, empathetic even. Most prostitutes don't give a shit about their clients and they shouldn't, but she did. Most whores just wanted to hurry up, get to the fucking, get their money that was due to them and get the hell out of there. But Jan didn't. She knew that some men like the slow, tender intimacy of sex and not the "in-out-in-out-done" kind. Jan took her time, built up both the client and her to climax and then it was over. That was another thing Jan was widely known for; she didn't fake it.  
  
After awhile, she began to become popular and pimps came out of the woodwork to get her, but she wouldn't have it. Soon, she started her own escort business and the dough started coming in. It was almost like an overnight success in the world of prostitution, some of the biggest names in the business, entertainment and even the government, called up Jan. But then came Hood.  
  
The two had met in some shabby nightclub, where Jan was on duty, escorting this would-be rock star. At first, Jan completely ignored Hood. He wasn't her type or so she thought. He tried desperately to get her attention but after several failed attempts, was thrown out of the nightclub. Of course it would have been simple just to call her up and hire her for a night, but Hood didn't do that. He would be the old romantic bull shit; send her flowers, chocolates all sorts of dumb shit and Jan being, the soft-hearted kind, fell for it, eventually. But there was one small problem; Jan was a hooker.  
  
At first, it didn't bother Hood all that much. She was financially independent and easily proved that she could take of herself. But the whole idea of Hood's girlfriend being a whore didn't sit well with Hood. He knew there were a lot of sick fucks in the world, some with those horrible diseases. Even though Jan's clients had to be someone with lots of money, that didn't mean they weren't clean and soon, Hood asked her to stop.  
  
Jan told Hood off the second he asked. There was no way in hell she would stop and by that time, she had learned of what Hood did for a living and thought it hypocritical of him to make such a statement. She figured that she ran as much a risk as he did by going out and robbing or killing off big name drug dealers, gunrunners or any other kind of insidious underworld monster. Plus, Hood wasn't bringing nearly the same kind or amount of money that Jan was. But as the world changed for Jan, it also did for Hood.  
  
He was made known to some big crime boss and had him pull jobs that were making hundreds of thousands instead of just thousands. After a lot of thinking and persisting from Hood, Jan promised that she would give up her business and in about a month, she did. Jan terminated her business and acted like it never existed. Calls would come in and she would ignore them. She was through with it all. It was the hardest thing she had ever done.  
  
Steve and Hood pulled up to Jan's studio apartment. It was in a fifteen-floor complex and Jan lived on the tenth. Steve parallel parked their car and turned it off. Hood told him to turn it back on and wait in the car. They had become big targets for other crime bosses and others who played the game just like them. It wasn't an easy business and that's probably why a lot of folks aren't in it, but those who are, just have to deal with it. Hood then instructed Steve to keep an eye and if he saw anyone suspicious, just go ahead and leave. Steve hated when Hood said things like this but knew it to be the truth, no point in both getting killed if one could get away. It wasn't cowardice or anything like that plus they made an agreement, unless both were facing the same problem at the same time, then it was fight to the death together. But if one could get away, then it meant only to come back and fight another day to get revenge. They shook on it with urine stained hands.  
  
Hood put on a pair of sunglasses, stepped out of the car, leaned over and looked in the car through the opened window, "I'll be back in about twenty minutes. Keep an eye out, you got your piece?"  
  
"Of course, do you?" Steve said nervously. He hated being in the car, being the get away driver. Most people don't think about this, but it's as dangerous as being the actual hit man. You screw up or get spotted; you're as dead as the man whose intended to get whacked.  
  
"Yeah," he said grasping his the waist of his pants and shaking it, "remember, if anyone spots you, get the fuck out of here. If you see someone and get one of those feelings, don't ignore it. Go straight to Dresser and give him the case. He'll be pissed you came early, but it won't matter because he'll still fork over the cash. Once you get that, just go. You understand me?"  
  
Steve stared at what Hood was saying and it made him even more nervous. He didn't show it but it was still there, "Yeah, I gather ya. Just go get her and get your ass back down here, ok?"  
  
Hood nodded and stepped away from the car. He looked over his shoulder and straightened his shirt. He then slapped the hood of the car twice, walked around the car and went inside the building. Steve let a long sigh of relief. He then shifted in the seat uncomfortably knowing what was under it. He looked at his watch quickly, not ever thirty seconds had passed. It was going to be a long twenty minutes. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III  
  
Hood stood in the middle of the elevator, a move he usually didn't do. If one stood in the middle as soon as those doors opened, one of two things happened; you got the first shot off or they got the first shot off. Usually it was they. When you got five cronies, wielding guns of all kind with itchy trigger fingers, all hell would break loose. It was guaranteed. But if you stood off to one side, you had a better chance of success, but you shouldn't count on it. The best way was to send up one elevator as a decoy, while the other went up alongside it. The bad guys react to the first one, shooting it to pieces, while you step out of the other and shoot them to pieces. It was pretty simple if you thought about it.  
  
Hood looked up real quick and saw the floor numbers slowly signifying his ascent. He took a deep breath and prepared for whatever laid in wait on the other side. No one knew that they were coming except Steve. Jan didn't even know he was coming; it was going to be a surprise. He smiled at the thought and felt the elevator coming to a gradual stop. The bell in the elevator rang and the door opened ever so slowly as a bead of sweat streamed down the side of his face. There was no one on the other side.  
  
He breathed a sigh of relief and stepped outside the elevator. Hood didn't bother to make sure it was safe, he just waltz right out into the open, exposed. He turned and walked down the hallway to Jan's apartment. "1003" read the numbers signifying her address and below it was a little peephole. Hood peered in to the best of his abilities but he couldn't see anything. He tried to persuade Jan into getting rid of this one and installing one of the hidden ones, but she wouldn't have it. He shook his head at her indiscretion, took off his sunglasses and knocked on the door.  
  
"Just a second!" a voice rang out from behind the door. It was Jan and this was another thing that bothered Hood. She was never suspicious as to who could be on the other side of the door and always gave herself away. But to her, she had nothing to worry about; no one was out to get her. Hood then jumped as he heard the door unlock and the door fly wide open. "Baby!" screamed a voice and then Hood felt a tremendous shift in weight upon him. It was Jan pouncing on him.  
  
Hood at first fell back into the hall but was able to regain his balance and go back in Jan's apartment. He hugged her back as strong as she was hugging him. Hood then set her back on the ground, "How you doin' babe? Stayin' out of trouble?"  
  
"Oh Hood, you know me. I'm a sweet, little, innocent schoolgirl. Doing nothing but studying to make her parents proud." she said slyly and innocently, tugging at Hood's hands towards the sofa. Hood looked straight into her eyes and smiled. She was gorgeous and all his. Hood didn't like to think of himself as possessive and in fact didn't really even treat her that way like some possessive guys treat their girlfriends. Hood let her make a lot of decisions but he also made a lot of suggestions, which usually she gave into. "Come on, I want to take you out for a couple of hours." Hood said tugging back towards the door.  
  
"Really, where are you going to take me?" Jan asked pulling herself closer and resting her hands lightly on his arms.  
  
"Well, first me and Steve have to run an errand, but after that it's your choice. Anywhere you want to go, we'll go.  
  
Jan's smile dropped to the ground and her hands, which were resting lightly on his arms, went deadweight. "By 'we,' do you mean you and I or you, Steve and I?"  
  
"Oh come on, don't do that. Listen, I wanted to surprise you and I did. I can't help if me and Steve have to run this errand first. Besides, can't you call up one of your friends and she can 'escort' Steve around, keep him in line?" said Hood. He was begging actually.  
  
"Are you kidding? I've seen the way Steve acts around women and it's pathetic. He becomes an even bigger bumbling fool then he already is." she said stubbornly now backing away from Hood.  
  
"God damn it Jan, I can't help that! Ok? Would just come on, I promise, we'll have a good time." Hood said assertively. Jan looked at him a little shocked. It was very rare that Hood talked to her like that, but behind the angry voice there was compassion and caring. He was only trying to look out for her.  
  
Jan nodded, "Just let me get some things and I'll be right back." She proceeded to walk out of the living room and into her room. Hood stood where he was and looked his watch. Eleven minutes had passed by since he had left Steve in the car. He hoped he was okay.  
  
Jan came back and looked a little bit more refreshed with a giant smile on her face. She walked up to Hood, put her arms around him, gave a quick hug and then gave a quick peck on the cheek. Hood nodded and Jan's arm's slid down, her right clasping into place with his left. They walked towards the door; Hood opened it and walked out first. Usually, he would Jan go out first like a gentleman should, but something didn't feel right. He looked down the hall and saw a man in a brown suit. The man looked back and met eye to eye with Hood. His face remained stoic and he started to head down the hallway towards Hood.  
  
Hood's eyes went wide, knowing what this meant. He grabbed Jan and threw her back into the apartment as hard as he could. She literarily flew into the air and it the hardwood floor hard. With his free hand, Hood reached for his gun, drew it and leveled it with the man in the brown suit. By that time, the man had drawn his own pistol and fired.  
  
Hood heard it fly past his head and he returned a round. The man ducked and fired again, but Hood had now dove back into the apartment, slamming and locking the door. He ran over and picked up Jan who screaming as to what was going on. They cleared the doorway and took refuge behind the bar.  
  
"Stay down and don't move!" Hood ordered and Jan shook her head in reply. Hood slowly looked over the bar and looked at the door. Shots rang from the other side of the door and bullets began tearing their way through in every direction. Hood ducked and returned fire once again, emptying his magazine and quickly reloading. He looked down at Jan, who sat in a fetal position, covering her ears. An apology was all that he could muster.  
  
Hood looked back at the door, waiting. He gave a quick look at his watch, in about two minutes, Steve would be leaving and there was no point in going out the front door. Hood knew of the emergency stairs out the back, but there was no doubt in his mind that someone was covering that way also, but it was their only way out.  
  
"Come on." he whispered picking up Jan and moving her behind him. He fired two more shots at the door and then at the window, shattering it. Hood looked through the broken glass down the stairs and didn't see anyone. He moved out first with Jan behind him and quickly made their descent down the metal staircase. In a minute or so, they made it to the alley and were sprinting to the street. They turned the corner and Steve was still sitting there, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He looked up as he saw Hood and Jan barreling down the street at him. He went ahead and threw the car into gear, turning the wheel in preparation for a quick escape attempt.  
  
Hood opened the back door, pushed Jan in and then jumped in himself. He looked at his watch and saw that it had been five minutes past the time he had told Steve to go.  
  
"Steve, I specifically told you to leave if I wasn't back in twenty minutes and for once I'm happy you didn't listen to me." Hood said breathing heavily. He felt himself slam back in the seat as Steve took off.  
  
"What happened? What's going on?" Steve blurted over his shoulder. "I'll tell you on the way to Dresser's. Now hurry up, drive!" Hood yelled. He looked at Jan who was quivering and about to burst into tears. Hood pulled her to him, hugging her gently reassuring everything was ok. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV  
  
Steve drove down the road, avoiding traffic like crazy. Hood told him to slow down, but Steve didn't readily comply. Hood had to yell at him to slow down and tried to put some sense in him as well.  
  
"So what the fuck happened back there?" demanded Steve.  
  
"Hey, just calm the fuck down all right. I'll tell you if you slow down first and take it easy, all right?" Hood said in an absolute calm voice. Steve breathed deeply and the car began to slow down. "Ok, good. Now what happened was that I went to pick up Jan. After a short discussion, she decides to go with us but as I walk out the door there is a man standing in a brown suit. He then fucking decides to pull a gun out on me and shoot the damn thing. I retaliate and we go back in Jan's apartment and hide out for a few minutes. After not hearing from him for a minutes, we headed out the back way of her apartment and that brings us to here."  
  
"Who do you think it was? Maybe someone related to the guy we hit last night or maybe someone else?" Steve asked quickly. He was getting nervous again at the thought and the car began speeding up again.  
  
Hood put his hand on Steve's shoulder, "I don't know but I can tell you this, they either followed us or they were coming for Jan."  
  
"Me?! Why on earth would anyone want to come for me? I'm out of the business and I know I didn't make any enemies while I was in it!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Hey, all I know is someone was sent to get me or possibly you, I'm as confused as you are." Hood said going into deep thought, trying to find an answer. For the rest of the ride to Dresser's, all three were quiet and a little shaken, especially Jan.  
  
It was a completely new feeling and concept for Jan. The thought of that someone out there wanted you dead enough where they would hire some lug head to come and knock you off, was frightening. But to Hood and Steve, they dealt with that feeling everyday. No one had ever come after her, even all the time she spent being a prostitute. One would laugh at the idea of making enemies in that type of business but it's possible, everything is possible. She looked over to Hood, who stared out the window, deeply focused. His breathing was deep and sequenced, at times when he thought this way; he seemed lifeless, statue like. Jan moved over and rested her head on his shoulder. Hood didn't react in anyway to this; he didn't even flinch. Jan closed her eyes and fell asleep.  
  
Her eyes opened slowly as she felt the car slowing down and finally coming to a stop. She lifted her head off Hood's shoulder, who was looking at her with an apologetic face. Jan smiled a response that everything was fine but that didn't change Hood's expression. She heard a door open and Steve step out. He then turned, lifted the driver's seat and pulled out a briefcase. Hood followed suit and looked back in the car and told Jan she could either stay here or come inside. She decided to go inside with them.  
  
When she stepped out of the car, she noticed that Hood still had his gun drawn and ready to go, "Last time I checked, it isn't business like to go into your employers office with a loaded gun exposed." Hood looked at his hand and was shocked. He dropped the hammer on pistol and put back in his pants. He extended his hand towards Jan, which she took and followed the two inside.  
  
Dresser's place ended up being and old Pool Hall. The inside wasn't the cleanest place in the world and the all the pool tables were faded and in much need of repair. In the back of the room, there were several men playing a game on a newer table. One looked up and saw the trio and tapped the shoulder of the guy who was lining up his shot. He looked up and anger washed over his face. The man stood up, looked around him and waved them over. Hood turned to Jan and told her to wait at the Bar. She complied and headed over that way as Hood and Steve headed to the back of the Hall.  
  
"You're an hour early and what have I told you about coming early?" the man at the pool table said taking his shot.  
  
"Yeah, we know Dresser, but we ran into some trouble on the way over here." Hood said shifting his weight from one leg to the other.  
  
Dresser looked up for a second and then back at the game he was playing, "Oh yeah, what kind of trouble?"  
  
"The hit man with a gun kind. What other kind of fucking trouble would I be talking about?" Hood exclaimed.  
  
"Hey! You know this is as well as I do, you take the job, you deal with the consequences! You fuckers are all the same! The second someone starts shooting at you, you get all upset and come bitching to me about it. Well let me tell you something, I've had hundreds of guys come after me with guns long before you started playing the game."  
  
"Oh you're breaking my heart there Dresser." Steve said sarcastically.  
  
"Shut the fuck up! Don't ever interrupt me again, you got that," shouted Dresser pointing his at Steve. Steve didn't say a word, he could easily have taken down Dresser any day of the week, but he knew that wasn't a smart move so he just nodded instead, "Ok, so tell me what the asshole looked like."  
  
Hood thought for a second but his memory was failing him, he could only remember two things, "He was wearing a brown suit and." he trailed off.  
  
"And what? What did he look like?" Dresser demanded. "I don't know, I didn't get a good look at his face." Hood finally confessed.  
  
"Well what good does that do me Hood?"  
  
"I don't fucking know! I'm sorry if I can't accurately describe probably due to the fact I was a little preoccupied with gun he was pointing at my face!"  
  
"Well next time, pay fucking attention! Now, hand over the case." Dresser said motioning towards Steve.  
  
Steve looked at Hood who gave a nod of approval and handed over the case to one of Dresser's men. He brought it to him and set on the table. Dresser examined the case and found that seal wasn't broken, that two hadn't opened to see the truth of its contents. Satisfied, Dresser closed the case and nodded to one of his men, who reached around him pulled out a duffle bag. He walked over and handed it to Hood.  
  
Hood turned around and gave it to Steve. Curious as ever, Steve began to take a look in side the duffle bag, "Hey, what the fuck do you think you're doing? What, you don't trust me enough or something?" Dresser yelled at Steve.  
  
Hood turned and told Steve to put the bag on the table and not to touch it again till they left. He then focused his attention back to Dresser, "So, you got any more jobs for us after Thursday?"  
  
"The Thursday job has been cancelled." Dresser said nonchalantly.  
  
"What? Why has the job been called off?" Hood exclaimed.  
  
"Because the job you completed last night is or was related to the job you'd be taking on Thursday. You spook the guy so bad that he has already left town, so out of the goodness of my heart," Dresser said glowering at Steve, "I threw in a little extra to compensate for it." After a beat, Steve showed his appreciation of the gesture with the best of his ability; he nodded.  
  
"Well, is there anyone whose got work? Maybe Torentello or Nacharelli?" Hood questioned. Both Torentello and Nacharelli were local mafia buffs and both were known for hiring outside help.  
  
"No, neither of those two shits has anything or at least nothing for you two. But someone did ask for you personally, in fact all three of you." Dresser said pointing to both Hood and Steve and then to Jan.  
  
"All three of us? What do you mean, who is this guy?" Steve asked.  
  
"Don't really know but what I do know is what he told me and he said he pay you guys more then anything you've been paid before." said Dresser matter- of-factly. "What's the guy's name?" Hood asked.  
  
"Kobayashi." Dresser answered.  
  
"What kind of a fucking name is that? Is he Japanese or something?" Steve said stupidly.  
  
"Hey I don't know and don't care. This guy said he wanted meet all three of you," Dresser started to explain pulling out an envelope and handing it to Hood, "at seven sharp at some uptown hotel. There, you'll wait for him to arrive, could be ten minutes could be two hours, I don't know."  
  
"What? I ain't going to wait for someone that long, I don't care how much they're paying me." Steve said a little too loud.  
  
Hood gave Steve a sharp 'shut up' look and then turned back to Dresser, "What kind of fence is this guy?" "Well, he's not really a fence from what I understand. He's supposedly some big-shot's lawyer and don't say a damn word," Dresser said before Steve could respond with another comment, "All that matter is that this guy is willing to pay you three big bucks. So if I were you, I'd take it."  
  
Hood opened the envelope and read the same directions that Dresser had given them. He thought about it for one second and the idea of getting some real cash, more than he had ever gotten before, "Ok, we'll meet the guy. Later." Hood turned around and instructed Steve to grab the bag, who by this time was flabbergasted. He went to the bar and threw the bartender some money to pay for the drink Jan had bought. Jan was especially happy to get out of there. All three left the building and got in the car. Curiosity was flowing rapidly through Hood's mind, for what reason would this Kobayashi guy want to meet with them and Jan. It didn't make sense, nothing made sense anymore. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V  
  
Steve drove the car as usual and Hood explained the situation to Jan. She was unusually quiet and didn't say a word. When Hood asked what was wrong she expressed feelings of confusion and concern. Feelings Hood knew only too well. But when she learned of the hotel they were to meet Kobayashi at, the previous feelings vanished and were replaced by an eerie sense of joy.  
  
Jan knew the hotel quite well and in fact, many of her previous clients stayed there while they were in town. This made Hood fairly uncomfortable but what would happen next would be even more unsettling; Jan proposed that they go shopping so that they could blend in. Jan reasoned with both Hood and Steve that it was important to do so as to not to raise suspicion; that was enough reasoning for them.  
  
They all went to one store where Jan did a lot of her shopping while she was still in her particular brand of business. At first the owner wouldn't let them in, but when Hood told Steve to show the contents of the duffle bag, he led them right in and treated them like they were old friends. After spending several thousands of dollars on elite designer clothing, they called the hotel and made reservations. Jan 'suggested' two separate rooms. Hood was worried that before the week was over, all the money they had collected from their most recent job, would be gone.  
  
Friday finally rolled around and the trio began preparing for the meeting with Kobayashi. When Jan left the room, Hood told Steve to bring his piece just in case; Steve agreed wholeheartedly. After both men had secured their guns in their coats, Jan came back with a beautiful smile on her face, ready to go. All three exited the room and made way to a private dining hall where they were to meet with Kobayashi.  
  
They entered the dining hall and found that they were not alone. A man sat on a stool right in the middle of the bar. He turned around with a drink in hand and looked at all three intently. He was similarly looking to Hood except he was more rugged and darker. He probably would have been a lot more intimidating if he were Steve's height.  
  
"You Kobayashi?" Hood asked.  
  
"No, who are ya'll?" the man responded in a southern accent.  
  
"What's it you?" Steve said trying to sound tough.  
  
The man cocked his head towards Steve, swirled his drink, which happened to be some strong Kentucky Bourbon and smiled, "Not much, so Kobayashi called you here too uh?"  
  
"Yeah, you know anything about this guy?" Hood asked.  
  
"Just a little. He's supposedly some big time lawyer, one of the best in the country. My connection said he was offered the job of the Attorney General of the U.S. but he turned it down. Now what kind of man passes up a job like that, I mean, for four years, you get to be the top cop in all that land, just doesn't make sense." the man rambled. The man's interest in such a position made Hood a little uncomfortable but he tried to ignore the feeling the best he could.  
  
"Sounds to me like someone trying to keep the skeletons in their closet from being investigated." Hood reasoned.  
  
The man shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to argue with what Hood had said, "Also heard that this guy offered these five guy's 91 million dollars to hit this boat in Los Angeles but none of them made it out alive except for one guy, but no one heard from him again. My name's London by the way, from Paris, Texas."  
  
Hood smiled at London's name and origin. It seemed so cliché that it was ridiculous but how did the old saying go, "what's in a name?" Hood proceeded to introduce himself, Steve and Jan adding the information that Jan was his girlfriend and gave the notion that only another man is able to receive, to stay away from his woman. London chuckled to himself once he completely gathered what Hood was saying. Of course Jan knew also a few seconds later. Hood then thought about what London said about the job in Los Angeles. A man with that kind of money had connections; big ones and that meant any kind of job they were offered was going to extremely dangerous.  
  
"Are you related to that writer?" Steve asked. Hood reached out and hit Steve on the shoulder who gave what-was-that-for look.  
  
"No, I hate that guy. His books are terrible, I mean, To Build a Fire, come on that was just trash. I was actually happy when the guy died," London said with bitterness behind his book. Steve assumed that he was obviously subjected to into reading the man's work, "So what's this all about, I mean, what do you guy's do?"  
  
"You're question will be answered in time Mr. London." a voice answered from the corner of the room. All four looked over in his direction quickly, London rose from his bar stool. Hood couldn't place the accent it just didn't register.  
  
"You Kobayashi?" Steve asked this time.  
  
"I am and I can only assume that you are Mr. Herowitz and that the man standing behind you is Mr. Hood and the lady joining you three is Ms. Wiles. I have come here with a proposal for you." Kobayashi said approaching from the darkness. He was slender, in a business suit and bald, not appearing at all to be Japanese like is his name made him out to be.  
  
"So what do you want, I mean, you giving us a job or is your boss, whoever he is." London said rambling. He was obviously a little nervous.  
  
"My employer has a job for you, all of you. One night's work, very dangerous but if you come out alive, you will all be awarded handsomely." Kobayashi said.  
  
"Who's your boss?" Steve asked.  
  
There was a pause as Kobayashi over looked at people as if preparing them for what he would say next, "I work for Keyser Soze." 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI  
  
Silence filled the room instantly. The faces of London, Hood and Steve dropped and almost became lifeless. London gulped the rest of his drink and set it on the bar. Steve looked to the floor and began tapping his shoe nervously. Hood just continued to stare. Jan was the only one who wasn't unnerved.  
  
"Wait, who?" Jan asked but was cut off by Hood who raised a hand over Jan's mouth, never breaking eye contact with Kobayashi.  
  
"Keyser Soze? You work for Keyser Soze?" Hood asked swallowing very hard. His mouth and throat were dry and he couldn't salivate. He looked at Kobayashi who nodded a confirmation.  
  
"What does he want with us?" Steve said speaking up but not looking up from the floor.  
  
"It happens to be that you have all taken something from Mr. Soze in one way or another. But because you did not know you had taken from him is the only reason you are alive," Kobayashi explained but the foursome looked at each other curiously, not sure what he was talking about. Kobayashi shifted his wait and cleared his throat; "Seven months ago, Mr. Hood and Mr. Herowitz took part in the hijacking of a truck disguised that of a UPS vehicle. The truck contained over 100 million dollars in cocaine, which was to be spread throughout New England. Although Mr. Soze's organization was not truly affected, his competitors although were able to gain a significant foothold on Mr. Soze's territory.  
  
"Three months ago, Ms. Wiles engaged in her supposed abandoned business with a man with a briefcase," Hood gave a quick look of shock at Jan, who didn't respond, "Inside the case was 78,000 dollars and while the man was sleeping, Ms. Wiles proceeded to take the case as payment for her services. Luckily, the caretaker of the briefcase had no knowledge that he was working for Mr. Soze and was spared.  
  
"Finally, Mr. London was hired to make a hit on one Simon Alger. At the time, Mr. Alger was a colleague of my employer and his death upset him very much so. Even though Mr. Soze does not believe in working with others for long periods of time, Mr. Alger was a good friend and an exception. After the hit was complete and Mr. London was paid for his services, he disappeared. Mr. London was finally spotted again two months ago in Boston and being arrested for the murder of one Cameron Sampson. Mr. Soze then had me push for your extradition and the case was never brought to court. Mr. London walked away with the arrest being removed from his record."  
  
As Kobayashi finished everyone was looking at each accusingly but not finding the words to say to each other. There was no point, each had done something and were guilty. Kobayashi knew this, Keyser Soze knew this and both knew they could hold this against the quartet of criminals.  
  
"Now that you know that you have all taken from Mr. Soze, he feels that it is necessary for you to repay him. For the past year, my employer's dominance in the narcotics industry in this area is almost absolute. There are several high placed dealers who may think they are operating independently but they are fooling themselves. But recently, a former governmental employee, by the name of Dr. Lawrence Willmore, who use to work for both the FDA and DEA has been working on a product more potent and more addicting then marijuana, cocaine and crack cocaine combined. Uniquely entitled 'glass,' this new product could easily drive most dealers out of business once introduced. It seems that Dr. Willmore realized the full potential of his product and plans on distributing it as soon as possible.  
  
"The one draw back of Dr. Willmore's substance is that it relies heavily on high-grade cocaine. Through his years as an agent in the DEA, the good doctor was able to make contacts in the narcotics world and was able to find a dealer willing to sell high-grade cocaine. This dealer happens to be that of one Mr. Soze's more able competitors, Enrico Cavasos. Both will be meeting in one week's time at a warehouse where Dr. Willmore conducts his business. Mr. Soze wants you to stop the deal and destroy Dr. Willmore's warehouse. If you are able to do so, you will have 150 million dollars to divide amongst yourselves." Kobayashi said finishing.  
  
The foursome was quiet was once again still trying to comprehend what was taking place. Their sphere of comfort and their shield of protection was shattered to pieces. They had now become exposed, vulnerable.open. After a minute or so of silence, Steve spoke up, boldly, "How do we know you work for Soze?"  
  
Kobayashi turned and faced Steve; he said nothing. Instead he turned back to the others and seemed to pull out a black briefcase from nowhere, "A little something from Mr. Soze."  
  
Everyone continued to look at, now curiously. Kobayashi set the briefcase on the bar and walked out of the dining hall, closing the door behind him. The quartet watched him leave and then focused their attention on the briefcase. They let it sit there for a moment until decided to open it. He placed his hands on the locks, pressed the releases and the brass latches shot up, causing him to jump a little. He lifted the lid to the case and inside were schematics of Willmore's warehouse and several, large brown envelopes. On each envelope was written each person's name in bold, black letters. Hood turned around and faced the others, handing them their respective envelopes.  
  
Everyone once again looked at each other not knowing what to expect. Collectively they opened their envelopes to discover the following; rap sheets, mug shots, checking accounts, birth certificates and even for some strange reason, dental records. The quartet was stunned at how much Kobayashi or Soze knew about them. They truly did know everything. Steve looked to Hood for help, answers, a way out, but Hood had no solution to their problem.  
  
"Ah man this is not good, I mean, this is just not good." London said to himself as he flipped through the documents is his folder.  
  
"We just need to calm down and think but don't think about running. I've heard of people who've tried to run, they don't get very far." Hood said. He knew it wasn't reassuring but what else could he say.  
  
"Well before anyone does anything, would someone please tell me who the hell is Keyser Soze?" Jan said throwing down her envelope. The others looked at her as if not sure as to what to say. Hood walked up and pulled out a chair, "You're going to want to sit down for this." Jan sat down slowly, confused. Hood took a knee in front of her and Steve and London flanked her on either side. She knew from this, it wasn't going to be good. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII  
  
Hood told the story of Keyser Soze with help from Steve and London. They told her of his days in Turkey, how he killed his family to protect his business, how he killed the rest of the mob including their family and their family's' friends. How he exacted a pure and cold revenge on those who had wronged him. Displaying a will, which only few possessed and how this was the same man who now controlled their destinies.  
  
When they had finished, Jan expressed her need to vomit. She had become pale, ghost like, it's not everyday you hear that there is some arch criminal who has the money and the power to do as he pleases and that you're just some pawn in his game. It was a new realm of reality for her, as it was for everyone in the room.  
  
"Do you know anyone who has worked for Soze before?" she asked in a sickly voice.  
  
"No, it's always, 'some guy knew a guy who worked for a guy who got a job from Keyser Soze' type thing. No one actually works for him, that's part of the big mystery." London explained.  
  
"What mystery? Sounds like to me you know a lot about this guy." Jan said now regaining a little of her color.  
  
"Well, there basically just a culmination of rumors and stories. The only one who truly knows anything about Keyser Soze is Kobayashi and that one other guy." London explained.  
  
"What guy, why can't we go to him?" Jan exclaimed getting out of her chair.  
  
"Well the only problem is, is that he is a U.S. Customs agent and if we told him we had gotten a job from Keyser Soze, he'd be all over us. Next thing you know your phone lines are tapped, there are cameras in the AC vents and God knows what else. I think it's better if we go ahead and pull of the job, get the 150 million and forget that we were confronted by Keyser Soze." London said. For the past five or so minutes, London had been the voice of reason and he was doing a good job of it. He knew that there was point in trying to avoid Keyser Soze and his reign of terror. Hood and Steve also knew this but Jan was still having a hard time confronting any of this.  
  
Hood thought for a moment, "You said you had a contact, right?"  
  
"Yeah, I pay every now and then to do checks on guys I'm hired to whack." London replied.  
  
"Well maybe we can have him do some research on Keyser Soze and while were at it, this Willmore guy." Hood said. It was a good idea considering the position they were in.  
  
"I don't know how well that will work, pertaining to Keyser Soze that is. He probably won't tell us anything different then what we already know. As for Willmore, he should be able to dig up plenty of dirt on that guy if he really was part of the DEA and the FDA, but it's going to cost us." London said.  
  
"Don't worry about the cost, I'll cover that. You get in contact with your guy as soon as possible, and then when you're done with that, meet back up with us. But before you go we need to address a certain topic," Hood said looking at each member in the eyes only to get confused glances back, "We have a choice. We can hit the warehouse early and forego the 150 million, but if we wait, were dealing with up to 50 plus guys." This caused the whole group to think for a moment; did they really want the money or did they want to get the job over with.  
  
"If we do wait for the money, then we are going to need some serious hardware. I can probably get it for us, but once again, cost is an issue." London said giving his two cents.  
  
"150 million dollars.you don't get that much money offered to you everyday, but I'll do it as long as the rest of you are with me." Steve commented.  
  
Hood and the others already knew that he was in, they just needed to wait on Jan; she confirmed that she wanted in, "Ok, then we've got some serious planning to do if we are going to hit that warehouse and wait for the money." Hood said taking up a leadership role. The other three agreed and London took off. By the time London had left, Hood was already in deep thought, looking at the warehouse schematics.  
  
"Hood," Steve said approaching him, "Do you really think we can pull this off?"  
  
"I have no idea, but we got a week to figure out if we can."  
  
"And if we can't?" Jan asked wide-eyed.  
  
"Well.we improvise. There's no way out of this one Jan. No one has ever run from Keyser Soze and lived. We have to do this." Hood explained with cold reasoning. Jan and Steve both nodded and three began looking over the building schematics together as a group. Looking for points of infiltration, places where bombs could be planted and any other points of weakness. They worked well into the night, planning, scheming, and addressing logistical problems. This job was going to be an effort that required all their abilities. 


End file.
